Continuing our adventures in Pembrokeshire, we headed out to Bosherston Lily Ponds (three flooded limestone valleys best known for their covering carpet of lilies). A footpath winds its way around the banks to the spectacular beach at Broad Haven South. Along the way, the kids enjoyed seeing the wildlife and especially picking blackberries!

After walking a couple of miles through the lily ponds, we arrived at Broad Haven South beach, where a number of family members were sat in light drizzle, chatting, swimming and playing beach tennis.

As we were getting ready to leave, a surfer became stranded on some rocks and the Coast Guard rescue helicopter was called in to help out. The surfer eventually managed to swim back to the shore with assistance from fellow surfers and the Coast Guard.

One evening, we invited the rest of the family over to The Old Post Office, where we were staying. We had food, sat around the fire, played piano and played Articulate.

During the holiday, Tom Sr. introduced the kids to the game Pente, which they loved.

Josh was borrowing some Sunderland pajamas, which Opa was giving him a hard time about until things got out of hand…

We dropped into Haverford West to do some ceramic painting…

…then to Pembroke Castle, where Henry VII was born…

…and on to Tenby, a beautiful walled seaside town where Heather’s Granny, Olive Jessie Thomas, once worked in a fruit and vegetable shop.

After fish and chips, we visited Fecci’s ice cream parlour, where Heather has been going since she was a child. They have a huge menu of the most amazing ice cream treats…

Charlotte chose this amazing ice cream doll/princess, which looked increasingly more like a crime scene/avalanche accident with every delicious spoonful!

Joshua, ever a man of refined taste, went for a timeless classic; the banana split…

Lucy dug into a peach melba… (check out Heather’s face in the background!)

Olive and Eve chose the Teddy Bear cottage (Heather’s childhood favourite)…

 

Heather and I, always on the same page, opted for the peach melba sundae…

…and that brought our time in Pembrokeshire to a close. What a beautiful part of the world and all the more beautiful to have enjoyed it with family.

It was time for the long drive back up North. Our car had a CD player and we only had a couple of CD’s. Being unwilling to listen to the Imagine Dragons album for the 49th time, we desperately searched the aisles of Sainsbury’s in Tenby for an alternative. NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL DRIVING ROCK was the solution. The Killers, The Clash, Razorlight, Sterophonics and Feeder would accompany use on our trek North.

After listening to the 3-CD compilation several times, I think we all had most of the songs committed to memory. This came to light to comic effect, when in the Keflavik Airport, while going through passport control, Olive belted out “I’m just a Teenage Dirtbag, Baby!”